Tattoo Guns

The tattoo gun, more frequently referred to in America as the tattoo machine, has the shape of a gun, but is actually used to create tattoos.  In America, the term “tattoo gun” is not widespread.  Many American tattoo artists even find it offensive.  Tattoo guns are those used in Europe, while tattoo machines are used in America, even though they are essentially the very same apparatus. 

Tattoos guns are based on the autographic printer that was invented in 1876 by Thomas Edison.  Samuel O’Reilly took this printer to a different level and used the same basic principles; he made adjustments, added the needles and tubing, and created the tattoo machine in 1891.  Little change has been made to the tattoo gun since O’Reilly’s invention, and it is used in great quantity today. 

The way the machine works is with the use of electromagnetic coils rotating and forcing the needles to move in a vertical manner, coercing the ink into the skin and creating a tattoo.  Tattoo guns use anywhere from three to thirty six needles at a time to create a tattoo.  The needle will pierce the skin anywhere from three thousand to five thousand times in just one minute.  So although the process is perfected, there is still a good chance your skin will be a bit sore for the few days that follow the birth of your new tattoo. 

The modern tattoo machine is so precise that it has the ability to control the needle’s penetration distance exactly.  This control lets tattoo artists undertake more detailed, challenging work.